Steven Caulker's breakout season

Having won their last three games, Swansea find themselves eighth in the Premier League table, three points behind Champions League hopefuls Liverpool. It really is a remarkable achievement, and one that has gained them many admirers. Most of the praise has rightly been in relation to their attacking, possession based style of play, but this is also built upon a superb goalkeeper, and an impressive defensive partnership. The Swans have kept 12 clean sheets in total this season, 7 of them coming at home where they have conceded only 10 goals in 14 games. Away from home their poor form from the first half of the season has drastically improved, with 4 wins from a possible 6 in 2012, conceding only 5 goals in the process.

Ashley Williams had played every minute for Swansea this season until he missed Saturday’s 3-0 win at Craven Cottage because of illness. In fact, the Wales International featured in 166 successive league games for the club before the weekend. Nobody can deny the immense contribution he has made. But it is Steven Caulker, his partner in central defence, who is perhaps the more impressive.

The England U21 International is the perfect modern centre back. 6’3” and dominant in the air. Quick, strong and brave. But also very comfortable with the ball at his feet, consistently showing the composure of somebody far beyond his years. In a team where he is not so much encouraged, but forced to play out from the back, less than exemplary technical ability can quickly be highlighted. But Caulker has excelled, barely putting a foot wrong all season.

Like Williams, this is his debut season in the Premier League, having only previously played one League Cup game for Tottenham’s first team. The 20 year old is currently on his third loan spell, having played the 2009-2010 season in League One at Yeovil Town, and the 2010-2011 season in the Championship at Bristol City. He won many fans at both clubs, in particular at Bristol City where he was named Young Player of the Season.

With players like William Gallas and Ryan Nelsen coming to the end of their careers, Tottenham are likely to introduce Caulker into the first team squad next season. He is seen by many as the natural successor to club captain Ledley King, who is starting to show signs of decay after such a fantastic first half of the season. Spurs are not always the best club at bringing through young players, but in recent years the likes of Jake Livermore, Danny Rose and Andros Townsend have all at least been given a chance. And Kyle Walker has become the first choice right back at the club after successful loan spells at QPR in the Championship, and Aston Villa in the Premier League - a similar career path to that of Caulker.

Despite fellow young English defenders Chris Smalling and Phil Jones both earning big money moves to Manchester United, and establishing themselves as full Internationals, it could actually be Steven Caulker who is the one to watch out for. If afforded first team opportunities at Tottenham next season, it won’t be long before England come calling. But for now, he is undergoing an excellent footballing education in a team with an admirable ethos and a smart young manager, which will benefit him greatly in the long term.

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The Evolution of Luka Modric

When Luka Modric agreed to join Spurs at the end of the 2007/2008 season, it was considered a massive coup. At the time he was rated among the best young players in the world, and he had a big future ahead of him. Many assumed he would join one of Europe’s elite clubs, but he was snapped up early, before the summer transfer window opened, and perhaps more importantly, before Euro 2008. The much maligned Damien Comolli has to take huge credit for the way this transfer was engineered.

Skip forward to 2010 and Tottenham are playing Champions League football for the first time, and Luka Modric is at the heart of it. There have been ups and downs along the way, and even broken legs, but in recent months Modric is possibly playing the best football of his career. One of the main reasons for this is his change of role. During his first 18 months or so at the club he mostly operated on the left of a midfield four. This afforded him more creative freedom, but meant that it was more difficult for him to influence the play. He has since moved into a central role, acting as a deep lying playmaker, allowing him to show for the ball all over the pitch and dictate his team’s passing rhythm.

Originally thought of as too slight to play in centre midfield (or even in English football altogether), he has become one of the top players in the country. He may be small, but he is deceptively strong, and he uses his body intelligently, rather than aggressively. There is a comparison to be made with the best centre midfielder around, Xavi Hernandez. Like the Spaniard, Modric is always fully aware of his surroundings, and protects the ball superbly. His ability to make space for himself is possibly without equal in the Premier League. By taking on more responsibility, he has allowed the flair players around him to take the plaudits. The chalkboard below shows his recent masterclass against Blackburn. Sixty completed passes and a pass completion rate of over 90%, covering almost the entire pitch. An impressive showing for someone who is always looking to be positive in possession.

by Guardian Chalkboards

Modric cannot take all of the credit of course, his partnership with Tom Huddlestone in the middle of the pitch has proved fundamental to Tottenham’s recent improvement. But due to injuries, the partnership has been too infrequent. However, the relatively small number of games that they have played together include impressive wins over the likes of Inter, Arsenal and Chelsea. It may prove that this is not a sustainable midfield two, and a more defensive minded player will have to be added. The introduction of Rafael van der Vaart is also proving a conundrum, but I’m sure that’s a problem that any team in the world would welcome.